legislation

A few weeks ago we told you that a terrible bill—an update to the Water Privatization Act—had to be passed again by the Illinois General Assembly because of a legal technicality. Here’s why the bill is terrible: It allows Illinois’ biggest private water monopolies (Illinois American and Aqua) to march…...

1) Utilities get an exemption: The legislation contains a four- to five-year exemption for key customers, such as utilities. It proves copper landlines still play a key role—and it also begs the question: If it’s so important to protect landline service for those customers, then why not for the millions…...

CUB joined ComEd and Elevate Energy at the Shedd Aquarium today to celebrate an important milestone: $2.5 billion in consumer savings because of energy efficiency. But this milestone is just one step on the path to even bigger savings to come for Illinois customers. The Future Energy Jobs Act—historic energy…...

STATE CAPITOL UPDATE: CUB needs your help to defeat a Springfield maneuver that’s bad news for our utility bills. Here’s the problem: Special state funds to help make our utility bills more affordable are in danger of being “swept.” That means some people in Springfield want to drain those funds and…...

Watching daily developments in Washington, it’s easy to get discouraged. But as a nonpartisan group that works to lower utility bills, we want to alert you about good legislation on Capitol Hill—and give you a chance to take action. Just last week, the Energy and Natural Resources Committee recommended that…...

We’ve talked a lot about AT&T’s push in Springfield to end traditional home phone service—but it and other Internet providers like Comcast have been busy in Washington too. They’re trying to dismantle historic consumer protections called “net neutrality.” And that’s could mean bad news for our pocketbooks. Get the facts, and…...

The Illinois General Assembly has passed the Future Energy Jobs Act, one of the most significant pieces of energy legislation in the past 20 years. CUB members should know about this new law. What is it? The Future Energy Jobs Act (Senate Bill 2814) is a compromise bill that was…...

A CUB review of recent rate-hike cases found that Illinois utilities have slapped their customers with more than $40 million in legal fees, meaning the hard-earned cash consumers burn on their utility bills actually bankrolls corporate legal teams battling to increase those same bills. But CUB is pushing new legislation…...